Houma fitness instructors offer free workouts

Locals get a free workout by CrossFit Houma at Mulberry Park in Houma last month. The workout group will hold another free exercise session Saturday in Glenn F. Pope Memorial Park on Williams Avenue in Houma.

LAURA McKNIGHTStaff Writer

Published: Tuesday, June 10, 2008 at 3:16 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, June 10, 2008 at 3:19 p.m.

HOUMA – The CrossFit workout is the best they’ve ever experienced but can be difficult to describe, so fitness trainers Brian and Ernest Ellender want people to try it for themselves.

The brothers started offering free CrossFit workouts in Houma parks last month in hopes of showing local residents the unique exercise program while establishing a presence in the community.

“We want people to see it, because it’s just not like any form of fitness out there,” Brian Ellender said.

CrossFit, a strength-and-conditioning program created in California, is popular worldwide among police officers, military members and martial artists, according to the program’s Web site.

CrossFit combines equal parts gymnastics, Olympic weightlifting and cardiovascular exercise to strengthen and condition a person’s core muscles, those muscles located in the torso area. The gymnastics element does not focus on tumbling, but on gymnastic drills like lunges, pull ups and dips. Olympic weightlifting involves lifting free weights instead of using machines, because free weights more closely imitate natural movement, Brian Ellender said.

The combination of the three improves agility, coordination and balance, he said. The exercises are meant to help participants in responding to the challenges of real life, whether that involves leading rescue missions or playing with grandchildren.

“It’s a common-sense approach to exercise,” Brian Ellender said.

CrossFit Houma’s first community workout drew a handful of locals to Mulberry Park in Houma for a free exercise session. Brian Ellender said the event proved a good trial run, attributing the slight turnout to Memorial Day weekend.

The next community workout begins at 9 a.m. Saturday in Glenn F. Pope Memorial Park, which sits across the street from a baseball field and next to St. Gregory Barbarigo Catholic Church on Williams Avenue in Houma.

The session, free and open to anyone, aims to give participants a feel for CrossFit’s group focus. The hour-long workout will include exercises like running, jumping, pushups, gymnastic holds and others. Trainers can adjust the exercises to people of all ages, sizes and abilities, Brian Ellender said, describing the activities as “creative, fun workouts anyone can do.”

The entire CrossFit program involves using the same exercises for all participants, but tweaking them to suit different needs and abilities, Brian Ellender said.

“A soldier can come in with his grandmother. We hope he does,” he said.

Brian and Ernest Ellender, both CrossFit-certified trainers, started CrossFit Houma in February inside the James Academy of Gymnastics on Venture Boulevard in Houma. Brian’s wife, Junko, also works as a CrossFit-certified trainer with CrossFit Houma. The local group is an affiliate of the Santa Cruz, Calif.-based program.

The Ellender brothers, both Houma natives, also work full time at Nicholls State University, Brian as a languages and literature instructor and Ernest as assistant director of the University Counseling Center.

CrossFit Houma offers classes four days a week, with most members attending several sessions weekly. Workouts last an hour or less, including warm-up and cool-down. Workouts change each time, the Ellenders said.

The program uses an interactive group setting in which not just instructors, but other participants help each other to learn and grow, Brian Ellender said. The group setting, workout variety and constant challenge offered by CrossFit keep participants motivated, he said.

Ernest Ellender also teaches Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu classes at the gym.

It was Jiu-Jitsu that led Ernest Ellender to the CrossFit program about five years ago. Ernest, then living in California, said he noticed one of his martial-arts peers gain a sudden boost in strength, speed and stamina.

“He was just physically outdoing me,” he said.

Ernest then discovered his buddy’s secret, the CrossFit program, and started using the workouts to enhance his own martial-arts skills.

“It became so much fun,” he said, adding “You just keep seeing benefits.”

Brian Ellender said he began using CrossFit several years ago and has found the program more beneficial than other sports or exercise routines.

“Nothing has given us the gains we’ve made as fast as we have,” he said.

Aside from workouts, the trainers also offer members help with their diets through an eating plan promoted by CrossFit.

“Nutrition is paramount,” Brian Ellender said. It’s really the foundation of being fit.”

The brothers said they aim to remain visible in the community, with plans to continue offering free outdoor workouts into August and September, depending on response.

“We want to be as involved in the community as possible,” Brian Ellender said.

<p>HOUMA – The CrossFit workout is the best they’ve ever experienced but can be difficult to describe, so fitness trainers Brian and Ernest Ellender want people to try it for themselves. </p><p>The brothers started offering free CrossFit workouts in Houma parks last month in hopes of showing local residents the unique exercise program while establishing a presence in the community. </p><p>We want people to see it, because it’s just not like any form of fitness out there, Brian Ellender said.</p><p>CrossFit, a strength-and-conditioning program created in California, is popular worldwide among police officers, military members and martial artists, according to the program’s Web site. </p><p>CrossFit combines equal parts gymnastics, Olympic weightlifting and cardiovascular exercise to strengthen and condition a person’s core muscles, those muscles located in the torso area. The gymnastics element does not focus on tumbling, but on gymnastic drills like lunges, pull ups and dips. Olympic weightlifting involves lifting free weights instead of using machines, because free weights more closely imitate natural movement, Brian Ellender said. </p><p>The combination of the three improves agility, coordination and balance, he said. The exercises are meant to help participants in responding to the challenges of real life, whether that involves leading rescue missions or playing with grandchildren.</p><p>It’s a common-sense approach to exercise, Brian Ellender said.</p><p>CrossFit Houma’s first community workout drew a handful of locals to Mulberry Park in Houma for a free exercise session. Brian Ellender said the event proved a good trial run, attributing the slight turnout to Memorial Day weekend. </p><p>The next community workout begins at 9 a.m. Saturday in Glenn F. Pope Memorial Park, which sits across the street from a baseball field and next to St. Gregory Barbarigo Catholic Church on Williams Avenue in Houma. </p><p>The session, free and open to anyone, aims to give participants a feel for CrossFit’s group focus. The hour-long workout will include exercises like running, jumping, pushups, gymnastic holds and others. Trainers can adjust the exercises to people of all ages, sizes and abilities, Brian Ellender said, describing the activities as creative, fun workouts anyone can do.</p><p>The entire CrossFit program involves using the same exercises for all participants, but tweaking them to suit different needs and abilities, Brian Ellender said.</p><p>A soldier can come in with his grandmother. We hope he does, he said.</p><p>Brian and Ernest Ellender, both CrossFit-certified trainers, started CrossFit Houma in February inside the James Academy of Gymnastics on Venture Boulevard in Houma. Brian’s wife, Junko, also works as a CrossFit-certified trainer with CrossFit Houma. The local group is an affiliate of the Santa Cruz, Calif.-based program. </p><p>The Ellender brothers, both Houma natives, also work full time at Nicholls State University, Brian as a languages and literature instructor and Ernest as assistant director of the University Counseling Center.</p><p>CrossFit Houma offers classes four days a week, with most members attending several sessions weekly. Workouts last an hour or less, including warm-up and cool-down. Workouts change each time, the Ellenders said.</p><p>The program uses an interactive group setting in which not just instructors, but other participants help each other to learn and grow, Brian Ellender said. The group setting, workout variety and constant challenge offered by CrossFit keep participants motivated, he said.</p><p>Ernest Ellender also teaches Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu classes at the gym.</p><p>It was Jiu-Jitsu that led Ernest Ellender to the CrossFit program about five years ago. Ernest, then living in California, said he noticed one of his martial-arts peers gain a sudden boost in strength, speed and stamina.</p><p>He was just physically outdoing me, he said.</p><p>Ernest then discovered his buddy’s secret, the CrossFit program, and started using the workouts to enhance his own martial-arts skills.</p><p>It became so much fun, he said, adding You just keep seeing benefits. </p><p>Brian Ellender said he began using CrossFit several years ago and has found the program more beneficial than other sports or exercise routines.</p><p>Nothing has given us the gains we’ve made as fast as we have, he said.</p><p>Aside from workouts, the trainers also offer members help with their diets through an eating plan promoted by CrossFit.</p><p>Nutrition is paramount, Brian Ellender said. It’s really the foundation of being fit.</p><p>The brothers said they aim to remain visible in the community, with plans to continue offering free outdoor workouts into August and September, depending on response. </p><p>We want to be as involved in the community as possible, Brian Ellender said.</p>